Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I was so nervous to make an Instagram and tell my friends what I was doing in the beginning but this has been one of the most important parts of my journey in starting my business. My friends and family have been so supportive through it all, and if I had not shared updates with them, they would not have been able to be there for me in ways I needed them. You need a good support system to keep you going.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Everest Goldstein.
Everest Goldstein is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with training in Functional Medicine and has an extensive background in integrative wellness interventions. She deeply cares about each of her patients and devotes her time to working closely with each of them to address their individual needs. Knowing the importance of the brain-body connection, Everest addresses the body as a whole to optimize health and wellness.
https://everestpsychandwellness.com
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Hi! My name is Everest and I am a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a background in functional medicine, which is a holistic, root-cause approach to medicine. I am the founder and CEO of Everest Functional Psychiatry and Wellness where I address mental health using a holistic, personalized approach that combines both functional and conventional methods to treat root causes of symptoms and consider the whole person and their needs.
I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and then obtained my B.A. in Psychology from Princeton University. Following Princeton, I worked for Teach for America as a bilingual elementary school teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer. During this time, I received my Master of Education from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Realizing the great need for mental health services in this community, I decided to follow my passion and earned my Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner degree at Vanderbilt University. In order to better provide holistic care to my patients, I also studied functional medicine through the Institute for Functional Medicine.
I work to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and expand access to care through advocacy and education. I take a holistic approach to healing and believe in the connection between the body and mind. Integrating lifestyle, diet, medicine, and other innovative technologies, I view each patient individually to help them take control of their health and improve their quality of life and wellbeing.
In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors at the beach or in the mountains. I love to waterski, hike, cook, travel, and spend time with friends and family.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
This whole journey of starting my business has reinforced that things do happen for a reason. The people who have entered my life because of this process have become some of my best friends and influenced my practice in ways I could not have imagined. Each person has impacted me in one way or another and served as a great reminder to continue to connect with others in the community, listen to their stories, and remain open to what the universe has in store for me.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In the beginning of starting my business, I tried to do everything myself. I decided I was going to do all of the legal legwork of creating a business entity and spent days going through all of the steps I thought I needed. I finally submitted everything and realized I had missed a key step in the beginning of the process that discounted all of the rest of the work I had put into the process. I was so defeated, but looking back I am grateful because it taught me that I cannot and should not do everything on my own and there are important things to outsource. It is critical to lean on others and create a team to make your business better.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
1 . You are what you eat. I tell clients all of the time that food is the best medicine or the worst poison. A healthy diet can reduce inflammation, improve mood and anxiety, clear brain fog, improve physical health, and so much more. Often times, I can work with clients’ diet alone and help reduce the need for medications altogether.
2 . Establish a daily grounding practice. This can be meditation, a gratitude list, journaling, hot/cold therapy, spending time in nature, etc. By creating this daily practice, we can center ourselves and improve our stress response, which has an impact on our entire body.
3 . Don’t be afraid to supplement when there are nutrient deficiencies. I try to run a comprehensive lab panel to assess for abnormalities on all of my patients, and so many of my clients are low key nutrients, such as vitamin D and magnesium. Even though diet can play a big part in this, sometimes supplementation is needed to get a client back to their optimal levels. Remember, always work with a licensed professional when starting any new supplements or medications.
4 . Don’t drink caffeine after 2pm. There are many health benefits to things like coffee or matcha, but drinking caffeine after 2pm can disrupt our circadian rhythm (aka: sleep-wake cycle). It stresses our adrenals (our stress hormone glands) and inhibits the production of melatonin, which delays our body’s ability to fall asleep. This then leads to more fatigue the next day and more caffeine consumption, and the cycle worsens.
5 . Move your body. Find a way to move your body every day if possible. This does not mean you have to exercise intensely 7 days a week. In fact, moving your body can look like short walks around the block a few times a day, dancing in between meetings, doing housework, gardening, etc. Find what movements bring you joy and add those into your routine. If you have fun doing it, you will more likely make it a habit!
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
My dream has always been to start a wellness center that provides patients with a comprehensive approach to healthcare (both physical and mental) under one roof. Patients would be able to walk into the doors and have access to providers specializing in women’s/men’s health, mental health, physical health, acupuncture, massage, alternative therapies, etc. Additionally, this would be a place of wellness where we focus on preventing disease instead of just treating symptoms, as much of our current healthcare system is focused. I would expand these wellness centers across the country, as well as be able to provide people with an affordable care model to reach the most amount of people. Virtual services would also be provided, as well as online courses for patients and trainings for other providers so they too can spread this approach to wellness.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I was so nervous to make an Instagram and tell my friends what I was doing in the beginning but this has been one of the most important parts of my journey in starting my business. My friends and family have been so supportive through it all, and if I had not shared updates with them, they would not have been able to be there for me in ways I needed them. You need a good support system to keep you going.
- Networking is key in the beginning. It is so important to make connections with people in your community. You never know who will inspire you to improve, who will refer to you, or who will be an amazing resource or good friend in the future. Making these connections from the beginning of starting a business can make a world of difference in how your business grows.
- You will not know it all from the start and that is okay. Early in starting my business, I would get so stressed out if I did not have the answer. Over time I learned that the answers will come; you just have to take a deep breath, utilize your resources, and learn along the way. I will never have all of the answers, but this is what allows me to keep learning.
- Hire a good accountant from the start. This is such a key part of running a successful business and staying up to date with taxes and finances. There are professional accountants for a reason and it has been so worth paying someone else to do this in ¼ of the time as it would take me so I can put my time into seeing more patients.
- Keep dreaming. I believe you have to be a dreamer to build a successful business. Starting a business is not easy, and you have to have the motivation behind a dream to push you through the hard times. If you lose this dream, you lose the motivation to make your business great and others can feel that. In order to keep bettering yourself and your business, you have to keep dreaming bigger and bigger.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
I am a big advocate of all of these topics, but since I work in mental health, I will have to say that this is the area to which I put most of my time and energy. Mental health is something that is applicable to all humans and so easily influenced by our physical health, environment, genetics, social connections, and other world events. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant uptick in need for mental health resources, and it can be a hard for people to find these. My goal is to provide quality, comprehensive mental health services to those in need and make navigating this world a little bit easier.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Readers can find me through my website (https://everestpsychandwellness.com) or Instagram page (@wellnesswitheverest). I love connecting with other likeminded individuals!
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
